Photo Gallery Heidi Is Dead
Leipzig Zoo's star attraction, Heidi the cross-eyed opossum, is dead.
Keepers put her to sleep Wednesday after unsuccessfully trying to treat her arthritis. Here, Heidi is transported to her new enclosure in Leipzig Zoo's "Gondwanaland" tropical house in June 2011.
Heidi quickly became a media star. She even appeared in a US TV show where she attempted to predict the Oscar winners in February 2011. Here, she correctly chooses Natalie Portman, who got the Oscar for best actress.
Heidi's cross-eyed look was thought to be the result of fat deposits behind her eyes.
Heidi was presented to the public in December 2010.
A German toy manufacturer paid tribute to Heidi with a cross-eyed opossum toy.
Heidi became an Internet star and was especially popular with children.
She had hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook. The zoo's director, Jörg Junhold, said the decision to put Heidi to sleep had been made "in the interests of the animal." Keepers wanted to spare her further pain and suffering, he said.
